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One Week To Go! Vivid Sydney Top Picks And Tips

In just one week, the city will sparkle, shimmer and shine even more brightly when the lights go on for Vivid Sydney. Organisers are sharing tips to help visitors make the most of the 18 night festival from 22 May – 8 June.

NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events, Stuart Ayres said: “Sydney is about to light up our Harbour city and enthral visitors from around Australia and across the world who visit Sydney for this very special annual event.”

Vivid Sydney, the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas, will feature more than 60 lighting installations, 70 music performances and 150 Ideas events. The festival will spread from Circular Quay to Walsh Bay and take in Martin Place, Darling Harbour, Pyrmont, Central Park, Chatswood and the University of Sydney.

Destination NSW CEO, Sandra Chipchase said: “Vivid Sydney is set to light up the city and visitors’ hearts with some of our most incredible light installation programs yet. With so much to see and do, we offer the following tips to help everyone get the most out of their Vivid Sydney experience.”

With a bigger light festival planned in 2015, here are some of the top picks:

1. See the Harbour illuminated

Be dazzled by a fleet of ferries and boats that will light up different colours which will change as they cruise through the Harbour and beyond. Ferries, jet boats, harbour cruise vessels will take part in the ‘Harbour City Lights’ moving art.

2. Give Dolly a Hug

Sure to be a crowd-pleaser, head to Campbell’s Cove to give a giant crocheted doll a hug. The illuminated Dolly is the perfect Vivid Sydney night light and is sure to be popular with young and old.

3. Re-live your childhood at First Fleet Park

Enjoy tributes to family favourite games at First Fleet Park’s interactive hub. Be the DJ with Beat Dice, a series of drum cubes that light up. Play Duck Duck Goose on the installation of the same name or spot the piggy in the middle at Entitle, a giant illuminated Rocco pig. The young, or young-at-heart can swing the night away on Swing Glow, a glowing swing set.

4. Don’t miss Enchanted Sydney

Be mesmerised by the flora and fauna of Sydney when it’s projected onto one of the city’s oldest sandstone buildings, Customs House, at Enchanted Sydney. The city will hum with gorgeous butterflies and soft mossy flora.

5. Make your way to Martin Place

Head to Martin Place for some refreshments at Transcendence and then get hands-on with ‘a game of drones’. Other installations included in the precinct include the giant Robotanics, Phase Frames, Spectra and Drum Circle.

6. Be wowed in Darling Harbour

Head to Darling Harbour for the Vivid Laser-Fountain Water Theatre to see a spectacular liquid-light show featuring dynamic jets and spirals of water, full-colour lighting, rainbow-coloured lasers and dancing flame effects, all to a soundtrack from Sydney electronic music gurus, the Presets.

7. Jump on the train and head out to new precincts of Chatswood and Central Park

Whether you love street art projections and silent discos at Central Park, or if you are more inclined to be drawn into the story of Norbet and the Nautilus at Chatswood, the new Vivid Sydney precincts this year will buzz with light installations and much more!

Vivid Sydney 2015 Tips

1. Go early in the week and early in the night!

Vivid Sydney is on for 18 days, so there’s plenty of time to see it all. Monday to Wednesday is less busy than weekends so those who want to stroll leisurely through Vivid Sydney should take advantage of these quieter periods by visiting on weeknights. Special tip for families – start your experience at Martin Place and Central Park where lights turn on at 5:30pm nightly, before the rest of the festival lights up at 6:00pm.

Follow the Vivid Trail of your favourite sportsperson, media personality or photographer, and see what installations are near you with Near Me technology with the Vivid Sydney app. Available now to be downloaded at iTunes and Google Play, the app is sure to enhance your Vivid Sydney experience.

4. Take your camera and get social with #vividsydney

If you’re feeling social and sharing photos online, don’t forget to tag #vividsydney. Selfie lovers should also head to You Are Here on the Light Walk to get a snap with the iconic Sydney Opera House as the backdrop.

5. There’s no need to rush

Take your time. Vivid Sydney is open for 18 nights so you can plan to visit more than one precinct or return to a much loved installation.

Vivid Sydney is owned and managed by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency Destination NSW. Visit www.vividsydney.com for more information.